As one of the most
important biobased and biodegradable polymers
with a promising commercial prospect, polylactic acid (PLA) has gained
increasing interest. Nevertheless, its high mechanical strength is
generally sacrificed when using tough matters to overcome its inherent
brittleness. Concerning to develop strong and tough PLA-based materials,
herein, polybutylene succinate (PBS) is blended with PLA, and epoxidized
microfibrillated cellulose (MFC-EPI) is employed as an interfacial
compatibilizer as well as a reinforcement filler. Effects of the amounts
of PBS and MFC-EPI on crystallization behavior, thermal stability,
and mechanical properties of the PLA-based materials are investigated.
Notably, tensile strength and elongation at break of the resultant
composite containing 2% MFC-EPI are up to 71.4 MPa and 273.6%, respectively.
The “bridge” effect of the filler contributes to energy
transfer and dissipation during deformation, accounting for the toughening
mechanism that is confirmed by microscopy. Such a “two-in-one”
modification strategy ensures the high strength and toughness, which
can be used to develop more materials with high mechanical performances.